Friday, April 17, 2015

Pirates v Brewers - Stewart Back, Tony Gone; Lineup & Notes

Both clubs have had trouble scoring, and both can point to obvious causes. In the Pirates' case, it's a matter of patience and selection as they've became swing-happy in the early going. The Brewers have gotten guys aboard, but haven't had much luck cashing them in, so they're looking for some extra clutch action. Both have offenses that are better than they've shown in the early going and need to rekindle the old Louisville Slugger mojo to jump back up in the standings.

Today's Game: Vance Worley gets the start tonight, as he attempts to rebound from his rocky start. He goes against Jimmy Nelson, who handcuffed the Bucs last week thanks to a new, improved go-to hook; we'll see if the Bucco batters adapt to his new weapon. Nelson beat the Pirates and Vanimal 6-0 home at Miller Park on Saturday, giving up two hits over seven innings while striking out a career-high nine. The game begins at 7:05 and will be on Root Sports and 93.7 The Fan.

Pedro Alvarez providing the muscle (Gene Puskar/AP)
The Lineup: Josh Harrison 3B, Fran Cervelli C, Gregory Polanco RF, Cutch CF, Pedro 1B, Starling Marte LF, Jordy Mercer SS, Sean Rodriguez 2B, Worley P.

Clint's mixing 'em up again; we're not so sure that mid-April is the optimal rest time, but The Kid has played in all nine games so far, so it is his turn. We're surprised that Jung-Ho Kang didn't get the call; he needs to play more than Sean Rodriguez does. Finally, with the lineup in a team-wide slump, it's tough to not put Andrew in the four hole.
  • Chris Stewart completed his rehab at Indy and rejoined the club. As expected, Tony Sanchez has been sent down. It'll be telling to see how they split time between Tony and Elias Diaz.
  • With tonight's lineup, every Pirate (except newly recalled Stewart) has started a game. Pedro is the only Pirate who hasn't been given a rest day yet. And that's no mistake. Alvarez has gone deep three times this month. 
  • Coming into tonight, the Pirates have not committed an error in 53 consecutive innings. They went a season-high 54 innings without a miscue last year.
  • Milwaukee's entertainer, Carlos Gomez, was placed on the 15-day DL (retro to 4/16) due to a right hamstring strain.
  • RHP Todd Redmond, 29, of Toronto was DFA'ed yesterday, and now has the right to elect free agency if he passes through waivers. He was one of the first Pirates (albeit from Altoona) to be traded during the Huntington era, going to Atlanta for Tyler Bates.

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